HUD Partners Join Assistant Secretary Peoples
in Celebrating 35th Anniversary of the
Fair Housing Act

Left to Right: Regional Director Noyes, Assistant Secretary Peoples, Homeowner Patricia Farley; Bettye Davis, Executive Director, FCHA; Ms. Farley's daughter, Zambia Martin; Sharon Dukes, Homeownership Manager, FCHA.

Senior Citizens from QLS housing developments registering

Atlanta University Center honorees holding placques left to right: Gretchel Caldwell, Clark Atlanta University; Andre' Bertrand, Morehouse College; Jamila Canady, Spelman College; Robert Johnson, Morris Brown College; Samuel D. Jolley, Jr., AUC, Inc.; and Pete Hayley, Atlanta University Community Development Corporation

On April 11, 2003, HUD partners joined HUD Assistant Secretary Carolyn Y. Peoples in celebrating the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act and in promoting the President's initiative to increase Minority Homeownership opportunities. This special anniversary event was held in Atlanta, Georgia, at Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center.

Brian Noyes, HUD Regional Director; Gordon L. Joyner, Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity; Dr. Samuel D. Jolley, Jr., Executive Director, Atlanta University Center; and Charles C. Graves, III, Commissioner, City of Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development; were also featured speakers.

Patricia Farley, Georgia's first homeowner to use a Housing Choice Voucher to assist in the purchase of her home, was in the audience. Ms. Farley purchased her home through the Fulton County Housing Authority (FCHA) program. Representatives from FCHA and from Community Opportunities Center, Incorporated, the FCHA nonprofit partner, were also present for the event.

Also in attendance were a number of senior citizens from three of the Quality Living Services (QLS), Incorporated, developments for seniors: QLS Haven, QLS Meadows, and QLS Villas. QLS has used several HUD programs to develop senior housing communities, including the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program. Irene Richardson, Executive Director of Quality Living Services, was present, and the work of the QLS organization was referenced in Assistant Secretary's Peoples speech.

Others present for the ceremony included representatives from the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO) and Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc., local fair housing agencies, and organizations representing persons with special needs, including the Fulton County Office on Disability Affairs and the Fulton County Office on Aging.

Gordon L. Joyner, Executive Director of GCEO, presented Ms. Peoples with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's proclamation of April as "Fair Housing And Equal Employment Opportunity Month" throughout the State of Georgia. Executive Director Joyner also read a commendation to Assistant Secretary Peoples from Governor Purdue and presented Assistant Secretary Peoples with a commemorative copy of a full page ad appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Sunday April 6, 2003 on Georgia's commitment to Fair Housing and Equal Employment Opportunity.

During the Fair Housing Observance, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other organizations located in the Atlanta University Center (AUC) were recognized for their efforts to improve the community, including efforts to further fair housing and increase minority homeownership. In addition to representatives of the Atlanta University Center School Presidents, representatives from several other organizations affiliated with the schools were in attendance, including the University Community Development Corporation, the Atlanta University Center, the Morehouse College Revitalization Task Force, and Clark Atlanta University (CAU) Neighborhood Initiatives Program. Housing Industry Partners included representatives from Wingate Management Company and Westminster Mortgage Corporation.